All I want for Christmas is…a rabbit onesie?

Posted by Guest Blogger on Dec 21, 2017

Let’s be honest: at some point in our lives we have all felt like Ralphie from A Christmas Story. We wanted the latest and greatest toy and instead received … a rabbit onesie from our Aunt Clara. Even though Ralphie wound up receiving his dream present after all, some of us here at the Association were not so lucky.

To bring a laugh to you this holiday season, and as a reminder that not all gifts have to be expensive to leave a lasting impression, we asked our staff to share the weirdest gifts they’ve ever received. Here’s what they had to say:

“Last year I was invited to a white elephant gift swap and I got a pair of cashmere socks. Nice, right? But they were missing a tag and when I took a sniff they had definitely been worn recently.” – Alexis Rothberg, Communications Manager

“When I was in the third grade we went on a family beach trip, and my grandparents decided to host a little get together while we were there. They invited a friend, a retired dentist, to join us. A few hours in, I proudly told him my front tooth was loose (not because it really was, but because I thought he might be impressed). He said, “come here and let me see it.” Like a lamb being led to slaughter, I went. He wrapped his slightly-intoxicated arm around my little head, grabbed my tooth with his other hand and started twisting. The sounds of the roots popping stopped the whole party – like a record scratch.

Fast forward 20 years to Christmas Eve. I’m sitting on my grandmother’s couch about to open her gift. I open the neatly wrapped box and inside, and under a mound of homemade confetti, is that dentist’s obituary cut out of the newspaper. That’s the weirdest (and best) gift I ever received.” – Stacie Saunders, Associate Director—Communications & Member Engagement

“At my fourth-grade gift exchange, I watched everyone open fun, age-appropriate toys. Then it was finally my turn to open my little box: Yahtzee score cards. I remember looking at them in disbelief…and humiliation. My teacher told me how fun they’d be when I got the game. Then my best friend, seeing me upset, gave me her jump rope. All was good in the end.” – Angela Viera, Senior Manager—Accounts & Client Solutions

“My book club has a white elephant gift exchange done Yankee-swap style. One year I ended up with light up slippers and another year it was a cellphone-shaped flask.” – Jennifer Gardner, Manager—Communications & Social Strategies

“One year when I was a kid…maybe about 14 or 15…all I got was a big jar of pickles…even though – by most accounts – I was a pretty good child.” – Brock Faucette, Manager—Corporate Communications